The Smithsonian has unveiled plans to revitalize the National Air and Space Museum and transform its exhibitions. The project, which will take approximately seven years, will be done on a phased sequencing schedule that will keep many exhibitions open during the construction process, according to officials. The building will undergo complete refacing of the exterior, […]
Aviation News
Safety Alert: Use all available runway for takeoffs
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued Safety Alert 071-17, to highlight the potential hazards associated with conducting intersection takeoffs and the need for general aviation pilots to use all the runway available to them for takeoff. It also has posted a video (below) to accompany the safety alert. Intersection takeoffs — where only a portion […]
New book on America’s first combat ace to be released soon
Slated to be released Nov. 27, 2017, is “Hoosier Aviator Paul Baer: America’s First Combat Ace” by Tony Garel-Frantzen. Baer was an American pilot of many firsts. Born into a modest midwestern family in the late 1800s, he grew up short and shy in Fort Wayne. Not short on ambition, he volunteered to join a […]
Fuel starvation leads to forced landing
The pilot reported that he had filled the Rans S6S fuel tanks the day before the cross-country flight, but did not visually check the fuel level in the tanks during the preflight inspection. He estimated the flight would take about 1.5 hours, and full fuel tanks would have given him more than three hours of […]
Pull of dry lake bed too strong to pass up for pair of Zenith
Zenith CH 601 XL-B builder Steve Smith snapped this photo and noted a “Quick stop on a dry lake bed on the way to the Copperstate Fly-in. We could not pass up the opportunity to land on this dry lake bed in Western Utah on the way to Arizona.” The high-wing plane is a Zenith […]
Set yourself up to say yes
It was Friday morning. The first day of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s last regional fly-in of the year in Tampa, Florida. I’d started the day early, but not bright. Les Smith, AOPA’s Senior Director of Pilot Community, and I met for breakfast before the sun dared show itself over the horizon. We had […]
Surviving a crash
Every pilot needs to prepare for the unexpected. Although surviving a crash is one of those “I hope it never happens” events, it’s something you need to consider for yourself and your passengers. If something happens, your passengers will look to you for leadership and survival. The latest edition of the FAA’s FlySafe Campaign, designed […]
Time running out for $634,000 in scholarships
Two deadlines are approaching for individuals interested in applying for a Women in Aviation International (WAI) scholarship for 2018. To apply, you must be a WAI member as of Nov. 1, 2017. Scholarship applications must be submitted online or postmarked no later than Nov. 13, 2017. All applications may be submitted online at www.WAI.org and […]
AOPA expands high school aviation program
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association will host the third annual High School Aviation STEM Symposium, in Fort Worth, Texas, Nov. 6 and 7, 2017. The symposium will feature learning and breakout sessions that focus on inspiring young people, career opportunities in aviation and aerospace, and delivering aviation STEM education. Participants will hear from fellow […]